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possible PCOS or IC?

Okay.  Over the past few years I have had increasing amounts of pain during sex, specifically in my urethra, and no one has been able to tell me what's causing it.  I also have very irregular periods, approximately three or four per year, and many of the symptoms of PCOS.  Here's a list of those: skin tags on my neck and back, one dark patch on the back of my neck, extreme hormonal mood swings, weight gain linked to going on and off of birth control, ovary pain that is sometimes enough to make me stop to rest/sit down, and a sudden increase in body hair, although that increase hasn't really put me into an abnormal range in that respect.  Some of the symptoms I have that aren't necessarily related to PCOS but that I feel the need to list anyway are: persistent allergies (nasal symptoms and swelling in the throat), CONSTANT fatigue, and of course the urethra pain during and after sex.  I'm wondering if it could also possibly be Interstitial Cystitis, but I don't have the full checklist of symptoms for anything.  What do I do?  I've gone to two gynecologists that basically brushed all of my problems under the rug and offered no help whatsoever.  Should I be seeing gynecologists, or should I try a urologist?  A general practitioner?  Am I making all of this up?  I feel like I'm going crazy just trying to figure out what's wrong with me and there's no one out there willing to figure it out and fix it.  I'm at my wit's end.  Please help...
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Avatar universal
Go to an endocrinologist and be firm and stand up for yourselves. You paying for an MD (or your insurance is), make an appointment to specifically see the MD not the PA, even if you have to wait longer, if your not confident with the PA's answers. Ask for specific tests and don't let them talk you out of getting them. These forums and the internet are great about looking up information and education yourself so you can know what to ask for.
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Avatar universal
i have the same problem. my gyn told me that it was the positions that we were using during sex, so we tried changing and it still hurt. and no mater what i did i would get uti's all the time...it finally got so bad that i told my husband that there would be no more sex for a while until i could figure out what was going on. 2 months went by and we might have had sex 4 times during then but i wasn't hurting anymore. i asked a new gyn and she said the same thing that it could have been too much sex and the positions that we were using. As far as the uti's she told me to go to the bathroom before and after sex to make sure no bacteria was present and to make him go before too
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Avatar universal
Hopefully I can help. My IC was diagnosed when I was in high school becasue I continually had UTI's but the culture would never grow. I was sent to a urologist who performed a procedure (cannot remember the name) where they stuck a tube in my bladder and filled it with water, to see how much I would retain. At the end of it all I was diagnosed with IC. Well a couple of months ago I had a laproscopy because I have had a history of irregular and heavy periods. The procedure showed that I had polycystic ovaries, which is interesting because when I was 15 I lost patches of my hair (which can be a symptom of PCOS). But I was told it was STRESS, Im sorry but there is no way at 15 I was that stressed! Anyways my question is, if someone has IC and PCOS could these possibly be symptoms of an underlying issue? I have had some autoimmune issues and my PA (becuase I am not cool enough to see the actual doctor) told me that IC can possibly be due to autoimmune but PCOS more than likely is genetic. I am just putting this out there, maybe I will finally get some answers. Its funny, I find myself hoping they find something.
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Avatar universal
You are not alone, nor crazy!  I am in the same boat as you.  I recently became sexually active for the first time and am experiancing difficulty as well.  I completly understand your frustration.  I was diagnosed with PCOS two years ago, though I don't display many symptoms physically.  My hormone levels are reversed, meaning I have more testosterone than estrogen, though both levels are extremely high.  I also have endometriosis (cycsts on my ovaries).  
I experiance pain during sex frequently, sometimes it feels like burning pain, other times, it is deeper inside, like in my lower abdomen.  I haven't felt normal when I urinate in a long time, and have had many UTI's now.  I have been sexually active for four months, and have been to two doctors just for this so far.  I was prescribed an Estrogen ring (the burning due to the thinning of the lining of the walls of the vagina) and was given a treatment for a yeast infection called vaginitis.  The E-ring worked for a few weeks, but then I became infected with Vaginitis (mutation of the vaginal cells).  Neither of these are STD's, but I seem to have one problem after another.  
So far, doctors brush me off, I have a long list of problems with my period, but they just seem to push those symptoms aside and treat the current symptom.  No one seems to want to get to the bottom of my problems.  Keep trying different doctors, and make them listen.  I will continue seeking opinions until I find a doctor that actually cares about my whole health, and not just my current complaint.  You are not alone in this fight!  Keep fighting!
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